I Would Like To Know What YOU Use

[webdawg]

I use a 125w heat bulb and there are no drafts and the chicks are nicely distributed in the box. No bunching under or away from the light. I started with it about 18" and it was 95 degress. I'm currently at 24" and it's 85 degress. 5 degrees per week.

 

[Keisha]

I also use a 250 watt bulb, for my brooder. Though right nwo its in the coop and turned on during the night. My chicks are not 3 weeks old. It worked out really good for us. Inorder for us to move it up each week, we had a skinny about 2 inch wide bord, attached to our wooden brooder. Then e had nails going up the board. Every week, we upped it a nail, since the lamp has a hook on it. So we would just hook it onto a nother nail, and use twist ties to secure it there. It worked out really niccely for us.

 

[KrisRose]

I used a 250 watt and just adjusted the height. Have used both red and white -I did'nt see a big difference between the two. As the chicks grew the brooders kept getting bigger (plastic bin, dog crate, refrigerator box) and that helped with bring the temperuture's down. At about 4 to 5 weeks I switched to a 100 watt bulb and the brooder was the refrigerator box with 17 chicks in it.

 

[BirdBrain]

Some one tell me if I was totally wrong...
I didn't really have any good way to raise my lamp. I was brooding my chicks in the garage using a 4x6 cardboard box (sides came up about 3 feet) and I had a long saw horse over one corner with the light attached to it so it was warmest in one corner. I never raised or lowered it. It basically stayed at 18-20 inches above the shavings. I never noticed them all crowding to that corner . At night they would sleep at the edge of what was comfortable for them. The box was large enough for the chicks to go where they wanted or come back to the heat if the wanted. When the were fully feathered we took the light away. By that time it was warm enough here in South Texas not to need a heat lamp. So tell me, is there a lot more made out of this raising of the lamp than there needs to be. I couldn't tell that my birds suffered any. I had cornish rocks and golden laced cochins. By 4 weeks neither group needed the lamp. I used a 250 watt red brooder bulb.

 

[KrisRose]

You are not wrong Birdbrain!!

I had to raise my light because my container was small, plastic, and in a heated house. When my chicks were put in the refrigerator box then I no longer had to fool with the light. It all depends on your set-up. I wish I could have done my set-up in the garage, however it was too cold (MI) and I have a dog door where a predator could come in.
I switched to the 100 watt when the chicks were 4-5 weeks because I needed the 250 watt for our second batch of chicks!!

 

[Saltiena]

okay, my brooder is pretty big, about 3ftwide by 4ftlong and 2 ft high. but it is kinda hard to measure b/c it is in the shape of an octagon but... from what i can understand my 30 chicks shouldn't cook in 250 watts

 

[therealshari]

We are using a 250 infared heat lamp and found we had to place it much higher initially than we thought we would.

Also, keep in mind those lamps are designed to heat differently than an incandescent. For example, our thermometer (wire wound outdoor type) records a much higher temp from the constant heat of the lamp.

For us, our best bet was to provide more than enough room (based on Storey's space requirements) and let the birds decide on how they felt.


I still turn the lamp on at night and anytime the ambient temp is below 70 degrees in the coop.

If it's going to drop below 50 at night, I lower the lamp to somewhere between 36 and 40 inches above the coop floor. Several of our chicks (28 days old today) are already preferring to roost, so they don't even get the benefit of the lamp.

Last night, with an expect low of nearly 60, I only turned the lamp on and left it 6 feet above the ground. This morning all the chicks were happy, fluttering around, and ready for breakfast. From the looks of the roost... they must have had quite a slumber party.

I have a lot more details of our temperature trials and brooder/coop pics in my blog, which will be updated again today.